Chicken-coop



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 14 eem/IBR.

CHICKEN 0001 110.459,105. Patented Sept. 8, 1891.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. BHMER. CHICKEN CCCP;

No. 459,105. Patented Sept. 8, 1891.

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RUDOLPH EHMER, OF MONSEY, NEV YORK.

CHICKEN-COOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 459,105, dated September 8, 1891.

Application led April 13, 1891. Serial No. 388,696. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH EHMER, of lVIonsey, Rockland county, New York, have invented an Improved Chicken-Coop, of which the following is a specification.

Ihis invention relates to an improved chicken-coop so constructed that at the dawn of day the chickens will automaticaly open the coop. rIhus while the chickens are securely conlined and protected during the night they are enabled to run ont and feed at dawn without any trouble to the farmer.

y The invention consists in the various features of improvement more fully pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an elevation, partly in section, of a .frame forming part of a chicken-coop and provided with iny improvement. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line .r 5c, Fig. l; Fig. 3, a vertical section on line y y, Fig. l, and Fig. 4 a top View of the frame with the trip-bars removed.

The letter a represents a frame adapted to be secured within a corresponding opening in one of the sides of a chicken-coop. This frame is provided with longitudinal grooves, in

which slides a door b, overbalanced by weights Z1', that are connected to the door by the ropes c, running over pulleys c.

The upper part of frame d is closed by a glass panel or window d, free to admit the light, while the door b when held down closes the lower part of the frame.

To the lower horizontal rail a of frame d, and therefore below the door Z), there is secured a pair of eyes e, in which there is free to turn a rod or rock-shaftf, provided with two (more or less) inwardly-projecting trip bars or boards f. These bars have hookshaped ends, as shown, that engage eyes of the rod f, and are thus readily removable. To the rod fis furthermore secured an upwardly-projecting hook f2 and a spring f3, both passing near their upper ends through an eye g. This eye is attached to an upright bar g, extending across the inner face ot' frame a. The hook f2 is by the spring f3 thrown into engagement with a stop 7L, attached to the door I). I prefer to make this stop U-shaped, as shown, so as to embrace bar g, and to provide it with an offset 71.', that receives the hook.

To the upper prt of bar g there is secured by thumb-screw t" a slide fi, that holds one end of a bracket or army'. The free end of this arm is provided with suitable attachments for holding chicken food. The drawings show it provided with a basket k, screw k', and hook 7.32, though other devices may be substituted.

n? m are a pair of spring stops or buffers that check the upward motion of door b.

The operation of the device is as follows: The basket 7a is filled with corn, or a head of cabbage, &c., is suspended from the screw 7c or hook k2. During the day-time the tripbars f are removed; but in the evening, after the chickens have gone to roost, the trip-bars are putin place. At the dawn of morning the suspended food will become visible as the light streams in at the window d. The chick ens on awaking will see the food and jump upon the trip-bars in order to gain access to it 5 but the weight of the chickens will cause the trip-bars to tilt against the action of spring f3 and the hook f2 will become disengaged from stop h. In this way the door ZJ will be released and will be drawn up by weights Z9', thus allowing the earlyT bird to escape and catch the worm.

W'hat I claim isl. The co1nbination,in a chicken-coop, of a sliding balanced door, with a trip-bar below such door, a catch operated by the trip-bar and engaging the door, and a food-retaining arm, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, in a chickencoop,of a sliding overbalanced door with a trip-bar, a catch operated by the trip-bar and engaging the door, a window, and afood-retaining arm opposite the window, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of a door having a stop h with a rocking rod f, trip-bars f', removably secured to such rod, and a hook f2, also secured to rodf and engaging the stop, substantially as specified.

RUDOLPH EHMER..

IVitnesses:

EsLER SHERwooD, H. E. ELswoRrH. 

